Luang Por : You already
have a good background on regular praying which is a level of meditation. If you could go further beyond the
praying, you can enter into a

deeper level. I
think it is about time. You have been praying for 36 years. This is the year that you should go further towards
deeper meditation.

Monica : I can sense
it. I agree with you. I am very optimistic. I have seen here at the temple that it’s possible to do a quick
meditation for 5 minutes a day.

So we will start to do meditation in Norway
for 5 minutes a day, and

then
when we are hooked, we will not stop. Then we will do more.

Luang Por : Certainly,
when you get hooked, nobody can stop you. It’s up to you if you want to meditate. Your objective here is not
just for an interview,

but meditation as well.

Monica : No,
not just for an interview. Next time I promise to have a day off
for
meditation.

Luang Por : Don’t
be concerned about time. Even a few hours spent in Thailand could

also
lead you to that meditation level.

Monica : Well definitely, I can feel that I am
really calm now because we came from New
Delhi. And, well, we had such a hard trip with the traffic and we didn’t sleep.

So only time we could relax was when we came
here to the temple yesterday.

Luang Por : Ah! Where did
you learn about the Buddhist culture? How did you know that Buddhists place their hands in the prayer
position when conversing with monks?

Monica : Well,
they taught me here.

Luang Por : You
took to it easily then?

Monica : Once I relaxed it felt normal for me to
do it. And I am a naturally curious person, so I always want to find out what people think
and do wherever I go.

It’s kind of my hobby as well.

Luang Por : Excellent! How did you come up with these interesting questions?

Monica : I did it together with my researcher and director in Norway.

Luang Por : So, I assume
these questions are derived from the issues that Norwegians are interested in, right?

Monica : Well, I am honored to do one of the few
religious programs on television in Norway.
We are raising these new questions because I think the world in general is missing
a lot about life, joy, happiness and love. We have been finding out how to get
religion to meet materialism, so that we can be happier people in

Norway. We are
suffering a lot from the darkness and the coldness. Those are our questions in life, and especially for me,
Monica.

Luang Por : Monica, let’s put it this way. Due to my age
I might need some assistants to help answer
as my health is not so robust, and I will add other things that others

can also
benefit from. Some questions might not be fully elaborated on and I will gradually add to them bit by bit as we
proceed. We should enjoy our conversation and share each other’s experience,
rather than only do an interview. I wish to make my answers as beneficial as
possible.

Monica : That’s
great, thank you. Firstly, I would like to ask you if you believe in the economic church, if you believe that all
religions are related somehow, and how

they
are linked to each other.

Luang Por : Economic
Church?

Monica : Yes
economic; like they are all logically promoting the same thing.

All
the churches, all the religions, the big religions, the main religions,

are
connected somehow. They all have the same goal. By using the TV program

we can learn
much from the other religions and incorporate the wisdom into our daily lives.

Luang Por : Indeed, all
the mainstream religions are derived from the same core of wisdom.To tell you
the truth, this is my first time on a Norwegian television program. You are the
first Norwegian to interview me.

Monica : I am really honored. Thank you, Tusen Takk.

Luang Por : Your native language sounds beautiful. If I wish to greet you in
Norwegian,